This is the third installment in my series, “How We Created a Delightful Christmas in our Tiny House.” See my first and second posts for the first five ideas.

The holidays sneak up and fly by when we keep a frenzied pace of checking off lists and rushing around for the big day. Growing up, I remember my Grandma, Mom and Aunts saying things like, “I’m done. Now I can enjoy.” Christmas was a chore until the work of shopping was done.

Simplifying our lives has helped us to take a different approach. Like our daughter, Ella, said, “I like the suspense and preparing for Christmas. The actual opening and tearing up of presents is sort-of a let down.” Savoring every part of the process with rituals and traditions, rather than rushing through, helps us to feel content once we are finished tearing up paper on Christmas morning.

6) Create your own rituals and traditions – These may come from your faith, friends, and your own heart as you slow down.

For those of you who don’t use iTunes I’ve also made it available here on the blog by transcribing the interview as well as playable on YouTube (also playable at the bottom of this page) so you can hear it there too.

Laura lives with her husband Matt in an off grid tiny cabin in the mountains of North Carolina. They use a composting toilet and a really unique showering system.

They built their home with no prior construction experience what so ever and left a big house in the suburbs of Atlanta to live this dream. Pictured below is their Tumbleweed house they built with the help of their encouraging friends.

Photo Credit Laura LaVoie of 120squarefeet.com

I encourage you to read the interview transcript and/or listen to the podcast on YouTube below:

It might be the number one comment here at tiny house talk: “I want a small space, but I don’t want a loft. I’m looking for a single story design.”

Friend of Tiny House Talk and designer Dan Louche has created a fantastic tiny house without a loft and it is available at his website.

Alex has spoken to Dan about the tiny house he built for his mother, which is the same design.

I wanted to ask him a few additional questions about designing and building a single story home on wheels.

What was your reason for designing a single story tiny house?

The first house I ever built was our single story Tiny Retirement model(affiliate). It was for my mom. She had been living in a mobile home that had started to deteriorate and so she needed to move. I loved many of the tiny houses that were available but I knew a loft wouldn’t be an option for my mom. So I worked out a design without one that could still accommodate her lifestyle.

Well, we did it! We built our tiny house and have been living in it for 5 weeks (half of that time it was still under construction — not recommended…). I’ve been thinking about our experience and what we learned — and here it is.

Think about your life

So, you want to live in a tiny house. The first thing you should know is that a tiny house is, well, tiny. As in, very small. As in, there are not many places to put things or do things. Know what activities are meaningful to you (and what things and space they need), how you’ll be spending your time (working out of the home, working at home, not working), where you’d like to park your tiny house (in town, in the country, in a city), how often you plan to move (never, yearly, every few months, every few weeks), and how long you plan to live in your house (always, seasonally, temporarily until you can afford something bigger, have kids, etc.).

If you love to entertain, dance, play a large musical instrument, or participate in an art or craft that requires room, tiny house living may not be right for you. If you’re a person that craves silence and privacy, and you live with someone else, tiny house living may not be right for you. I just had a friend visiting who said, “This is the most amazing house, but I would be totally claustrophobic.” Know thyself.

The content and information here is for entertainment and should not be taken as professional advice. While we strive to provide accurate and helpful information, we are not professionals. The owner of this website disclaims all warranties expressed or implied regarding the accuracy, timeliness, and completeness of the information provided.

When considering buying/selling from this website or any 3rd party websites linked always be sure to deal with people locally to avoid scams. Do not wire money in any way without first seeing the home (or other product), checking title, and doing your proper due diligence.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.